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Showing posts from March, 2025

Waste management needs large budget: official

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  Indonesia's Ministry of Environment has highlighted the costs incurred in waste management compared to efforts to reduce waste production. "Once it has become waste, we need money to process it," environmental counselor to the ministry's Directorate of Waste Management, Agus Puyi , said at an online discussion  He drew attention to waste generated by each individual, which, if accumulated, can reach hundreds or even thousands of tons in a city such as Jakarta, with eight thousand tons of waste estimated to be generated per day on average. According to Puyi, waste management is the responsibility of the regional government, including districts/cities, as per Law Number 18 of 2008 concerning Waste Management. However, he said that not all regional governments have the financial capability to manage waste. Data from the ministry shows that regions have set aside around 0.6 percent of their budget for waste management efforts, which is less than the 3 percent minimum bu...

NDB president invites Indonesia to join as member: Airlangga

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  Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto stated that the New Development Bank (NDB) President Dilma Vana Rousseff invited Indonesia to become a member of the organization. During a meeting with Rousseff in Jakarta on Tuesday, Airlangga introduced Indonesia’s priority programs under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, which include food security and clean energy initiatives. "Currently, Indonesia is running a free nutritious meal program at various levels of education at the national level, with the hope of driving the rural economy and creating multiplier effects," Airlangga noted in his statement. The NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS countries to finance infrastructure projects and sustainable development in developing countries. The NDB prioritizes infrastructure development and poverty alleviation through programs that support industrialization, thereby fostering job creation. Furthermore, Airlangga emphasized...

Barcelona finally turned on its crowds of tourists

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 It was the water pistol shot that echoed around the world. In the summer of 2024, after years of enduring the pressures of overtourism, locals in Barcelona ramped up their protest, with thousands gathering to chant “tourists go home.” But it was a small group armed with toy water pistols who made headlines by squirting them at visitors seated in outdoor cafes. A mischievous, seemingly harmless act, perhaps. Yet as pictures of the incident spread globally, the firepower of those toy weapons soon became apparent. Barcelona’s longstanding tensions over the city’s transformation into a tourist playground had erupted into very public hostility. The surprise squirt attack, criticized by some top tourism officials, was also emblematic of a situation ongoing in many other destinations, from Amsterdam to Bali, where local residents face being priced out of their own homes by a global tourism industry that gets bigger and more expansive every year. Barcelona, like many of these places, als...

Istanbul mayor testifies in court as protesters across Turkey defy ban on gatherings

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 Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu faced questioning in court on Saturday by prosecutors over allegations of corruption and terrorism ties after his detention by Turkish authorities earlier this week sparked protests across the country. Prosecutors asked the court to jail Imamoglu – a key political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and four of his aides pending a trial, his office said, according to the Reuters news agency. The court is expected to rule on the mayor’s detention early Sunday. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of more than a dozen cities nationwide since Thursday, including the metropolis of Istanbul and the capital Ankara, in largely peaceful demonstrations against Imamoglu’s detention. His supporters have denounced the detentions as politically motivated and part of an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition following a major defeat for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in local and mayoral elections last year. Many ...

Musk’s DOGE Goon Accidentally Triggered Secret Service Alert in White House Complex

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 A DOGE employee working for Elon Musk found himself in a standoff with the Secret Service on the roof of the Eisenhower Executive Building while scouting locations for installing Starlink, The New York Times reports. Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Musk’s SpaceX, is now accessible across the White House complex after it was “donated” to the U.S government by the MAGA billionaire, according to the Times. But the service, which beams internet signals to the user from low-orbiting SpaceX satellites, needed a physical terminal installed before it could be used at the complex, which processes its Wi-Fi and other data at a center miles away. In February, Chris Stanley, an X and SpaceX security engineer who now works as a special employee for the Department of Government Efficiency, was tasked by Musk with installing Starlink terminals on the roof of the Eisenhower Executive Building in the White House complex, the Times reported. But as he made his way to the roof of ...

Real Madrid name their price as Man City plot incredible Bernabeu raid

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  Manchester City are planning for another big transfer window and have been linked with a move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, and a report has revealed what Pep Guardiola’s side must do to get him. The Cityzens signed Nico Gonzalez in January and he has helped fill the void left by injured superstar Rodri, but they are still keen to sign another midfielder this summer. Camavinga, 22, is an important player for Madrid and has made 27 appearances this term, although he has missed a chunk of the campaign with knee and hamstring injuries. According to Football Insider, a deal for Man City ‘will not be easy’ should they choose to pursue a move for Camavinga this summer. Camavinga is ‘versatile and can play on the left side of midfield and defence or centrally’, with this being an area of the squad that Guardiola ‘wants to strengthen.’ The report claims that Camavinga has been ‘identified as a potential signing’ by Man City, but it will take a bid of ‘at least £70m’ for ...

Judge blocks Trump from using wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants

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 A federal judge on Saturday night temporarily blocked President Trump from removing immigrants under a wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 after the president announced earlier in the day that he would enforce the law.  The judge's ruling was in response to a federal civil lawsuit filed Saturday by a group of five Venezuelan men in immigration custody in Texas and New York local jails against President Trump and other administration officials.  Mr. Trump invoked the 227-year-old wartime law earlier Saturday.  The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., by attorneys with the ACLU and Democracy Forward argues the Alien Enemies Act is "a wartime measure that has been used only three times in our Nation's history: the War of 1812, World War I and World War II." Presidents are given the extraordinary power by the 227-year-old law to order the arrest, detention and deportation of noncitizens who are 14 years or older and come from countries sta...

Russia and Ukraine trade overnight aerial attacks after Putin sets out conditions for ceasefire

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  Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows overnight, with both sides on Saturday reporting more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories. The attacks comes less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss details of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine. Putin told a press conference on Thursday that he supported a truce in principle but set out a host of details that need to be clarified before it is agreed. Kyiv has already endorsed the truce proposal, although Ukrainian officials have publicly raised doubts as to whether Moscow will commit to such a deal. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Saturday, after virtual talks between Western allies hosted by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy voiced Ukraine’s support for the 30-day full ceasefire proposal to discuss a longer-term peace plan, but said Russia would attempt to derail talks with conditions and “buts”. Starmer ha...

Pochettino explains Aaronson snub on USMNT Nations League roster

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 U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Brenden Aaronson was the victim of a numbers game on his Concacaf Nations League Finals roster. Aaronson (as well as his younger brother Paxten) was a notable omission from the 23-player squad, which is set to face Panama in the Nations League semifinal and then Mexico or Canada in the final or third-place game. The 24-year-old has been a standout for Leeds this season, scoring a career-high eight goals for a team currently first place in the Championship. Aaronson was initially left off the Nations League roster one year ago, but was at a much different place in his club career and was subsequently brought back for the rest of the team's 2024 rosters. Speaking to reporters after releasing his roster, Pochettino said Aaronson was crowded out by other attacking options. "I know Brenden Aaronson very well, but we decided to bring other players in his place," the Argentine said. "We have players in that ...

Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (4-1 agg): Player ratings as Barca breeze into quarter-final

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  Barcelona booked their spot in the Champions League quarter-final with a routine 3-1 victory over Benfica on Tuesday. A ruthless first half display got the job done for Barcelona. Raphinha opened the scoring ten minutes in and, although Nicolas Otamendi equalised almost immediately, the La Liga giants did not slow down. Lamine Yamal curled home a delightful strike before Raphinha added his second shortly before the interval. Benfica had their moments after the break but never looked like causing any real problems for Barcelona, who refused to ease up in their search for a fourth goal of the evening. No more goals were needed, however, with Barcelona cruising through to the final whistle to set up a meeting with either Lille or Borussia Dortmund in the next round of the competition. Barcelona player ratings (4-2-3-1) Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Inaki Pena (GK), Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, Pablo Torre, Ansu Fati, Pau Victor Benfica player ratings (4-3-3) Subs not used: Samu...

minister urges pesantrens,Manage waste properly

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 Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has urged pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia to carry out waste management properly to reduce the volume of waste generated in the country. "The more waste we produce, the bigger our responsibility is to resolve this," he said at the Waste-Free Pesantren Action event at Al-Muhajirin 3 Islamic Boarding School, Purwakarta, West Java Nurofiq gave the example of Al-Muhajirin Islamic Boarding School, which has nearly seven thousand students in all its branches in total. "If we assume that each person produces 0.5 kilograms of waste per day, then at Al-Muhajirin, the daily pile of waste reaches 3,500 kilograms. This amount is quite large," he pointed out. Therefore, the minister invited all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia to manage waste properly and correctly, so that the large amount of waste can be reduced every day. He outlined several habits that can be adopted, including eating in moderation to reduce...

Minister Abdul Mu'ti discusses plan to build houses for teachers

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 Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti, here on Saturday, discussed plans for building houses for teachers to boost their motivation in educating students at schools. He discussed this plan during a meeting with the Ministry of Housing and Settlements, the Statistics Indonesia ( BPS ), and the People's Savings Management Agency (BP Tapera). "I hope we can provide good services for teachers by providing them with housing, so they can focus on working well," Mu'ti noted in the ministry's statement. In line with this, Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar Sirait revealed that the government will build houses for teachers. "President Prabowo Subianto has instructed us to ensure that the assistance recipients are on-target and that we must provide decent housing for teachers," Sirait stated. He also revealed that after the meeting, they will prepare a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two ministers and the BPS head. The h...

Bayern Munich, Liverpool & Man Utd dealt blow by club chief ruling out transfer

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 Stuttgart director of sport Fabian Wohlgemuth emphatically ruled out any summer transfer for midfielder Angelo Stiller, who has attracted interest from a glut of clubs across the continent. The progressive holding midfielder caught the eye while helping Stuttgart finish second in last season's Bundesliga table - the club's best campaign since they won the top flight in 2007. Stiller earned his first senior international call-up for Germany this season as he continues to impress. Bayern Munich, Stiller's former employers and boyhood club, are thought to be interested while Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United have both been linked. However, Stuttgart's Wohlgemuth is adamant that his 23-year-old gem isn't going anywhere. "That is not an issue that is currently on our agenda," Wohlgemuth told BILD this week. "The player has committed himself to VfB without any ifs and buts and we know exactly what we have in Angelo. And that is exactly...

Ibrahima Konate transfer latest amid Real Madrid interest in Liverpool star and PSG 'denial'

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 Ibrahima Konate 's future at Liverpool remains up in the air as the European elite circle the central defender for his services. With the Frenchman's contract up at the end of next season, and an offer for an extension on the table, all signs seem to point towards his time on Merseyside continuing. Yet according to Le Parisien, he is waiting until the end of the season to make a final decision. As a result of all this uncertainty, interest in Konate continues to grow by the day with some of the world's biggest clubs vying for his signature. Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly a keen suitor, with the player himself telling Téléfoot how "flattered" he was by the interest. Speaking last month, with the two sides set to meet in the Champions League on Wednesday, Konate said: "Hearing big clubs like that being interested is very flattering, but now I'm focusing on this season; I want to win everything - take as many titles as possible and then everything that h...

Indonesia mulls expanding extradition cooperation with Switzerland

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 Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas is considering the possibility of expanding comprehensive mutual legal assistance (MLA) cooperation on extradition with Switzerland. "Although there are currently no issues in our bilateral relations, we must anticipate potential developments, as anything can happen in the future," Agtas said during a meeting with the Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia, Olivier Zehnder, on Wednesday (February 26, 2025). He noted that Indonesia and Switzerland signed an MLA agreement in 2019. The MLA is expected to be expanded beyond legal affairs to cover other areas of cooperation. Agtas also expressed hope that Switzerland would participate in the Indonesian government’s priority programs, particularly in the downstream sector. He highlighted Indonesia's recent business licensing reforms through the Online Single Submission (OSS) system, which aims to facilitate ease of doing business. "We are determined that by 2026, as many as 500 services at the Mi...

Terrorism prevention becoming increasingly complex: BNPT

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 Head of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Eddy Hartono , has said that the prevention of terrorism is becoming more and more complex and challenging despite the country not recording any terror incidents in recent years. "In recent years, terrorism has not been visible on the surface, but we must continue to monitor and track the networks of terrorist groups beneath the surface," he explained during an inauguration and oath-taking ceremony for BNPT officials in Bogor, West Java, on Friday. He expressed the hope that Brigadier General Sudaryanto, who was inaugurated as the BNPT's deputy for prevention, protection, and deradicalization, will carry out his duties effectively. With this, he said, the agency can perform its tasks and functions well, in keeping with the government's mission and the National Medium-term Development Plan. "We congratulate Brigadier General Sudaryanto on his new role. This Deputy 1 position is crucial because, according to La...